"The Everyday Life of a Working Artist" is a new daily conversation about my life as an artist.
Join me as I juggle family, painting, marketing and all of the other things I am lucky enough to cram in to a single day.

The Everyday Life of a Working Artist

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Attention! My blog is moving to my website in early January 2016. If you are receiving daily emails about this blog you will continue to receive them after the switch. Until then, you might want to head on over to my new blog here!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Artists Helping Artists show titled "Top Tips to Becoming a Published Author" airs tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27th. I honestly believe this is one of those shows you can't miss. With today's self-publishing options, every artist should publish a book. The up-front investment is almost nothing (in many cases it is nothing!) and a book featuring your art is something that you can use as a great marketing tool. It's a wonderful gift for your most important collectors and something that is great to have on hand. If you have an art show opening in your future, you might consider publishing a book that promotes your paintings in the show.

I have started a really large "book project". I am writing a Palette Knife Painting Book and hope to publish it by mid year in 2012. It will take a long time to write and even longer to get all of the photos, but when it's done I think it will be one of the first "how to" palette knife painting books available. I'd love to get your feedback about my idea for the book. Any thoughts? Inclusions you would like to see? Let me know!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

In case you are already thinking about your holiday shopping, my 2012 Calendars are available. They make a great gift and are very reasonably priced! They are printed on glossy card stock and will last forever ... perhaps way longer than the year they are designed to help organize.

Monday, October 24, 2011

I am busy finishing paintings for my Debra Huse Gallery Show so I am not posting any of the new paintings until after the opening. We just spent a very long weekend at Stanford for my husband's 30th and to see our oldest son swim so I am exhausted and it's only Monday morning! Yikes!

As I am typing this blog post there is a "tech scout" taking place in my front yard and house. We are filming a very popular TV show here soon but I can't say who it is. But, if there was one show on TV that I would like to film here, this is the one! So ... which is your favorite TV show???

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

I am pleased to announce my upcoming show titled "Boats on Balboa" at the Debra Huse Gallery. The show opens on Saturday, November 5th at a reception from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. The show will be available until Sunday, November 20th.

I hope you all can join me for the opening on the 5th. It will be wonderful to see you all at such an amazing gallery!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Home sweet home. It's nice to be back and have the chance to paint in the Carriage House. I missed my family, missed my studio and missed my poor dog, Speffy. It's a very long story but I think she missed me the most while I was gone. Hang in there Speffy. Your Mama's finally home.

I am busy finishing up my paintings for my upcoming show at the Debra Huse Gallery. The show, titled "Boats on Balboa" will feature scenes from around Newport and Balboa Island. If you are in or near the Newport Beach area I hope you can join me for the Opening Reception on Saturday, November 5th from 6:00 until 8:00 pm. The Debra Huse Gallery is located at 229 Marine Avenue on Balboa Island, just off Balboa Avenue. It would be great to see you! The show will be available from November 5th until the 20th.

Monday, October 10, 2011

I am enjoying yet another day in Hawaii and have decided I need to stay longer. The only problem is that I did not bring my paints. I am only a few paintings "ahead" so it looks like it just may not happen. Of course my husband and son (who were left at home) may not think I need to stay here longer than a week. I am getting slight hints that I am actually missed. Of course, that is a good thing. Here's my tip: All mothers should leave their children at home (with their husbands) every once in a while. It works every time as we are always REALLY appreciated when we return home. Of course your house may not look the same as how you left it ...

I am so excited about an upcoming "Artists Helping Artists" show that I have to tell you about it. On Wednesday, November 2nd, Carol and David Marine will be our guests on the show. They have agreed to share their story and the journey that has led them to their new home in Oregon. Many of you are probably aware they lost their home in the horrific fires in Texas and they have graciously offered to share their experiences from the past few weeks. I hope you can listen to the show. It will air on November 2nd at 9:00 am Pacific time, 12:00 noon Eastern time.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Aloha. Maui is beautiful and the weather in Kapalua is perfect. I took an hour long walk this morning and took about 100 pictures for future paintings. I think there will be a lot of paintings in my future with palm trees in them.

There's something about Hawaii that I can never get enough of. The sun, the beaches, the incredible sunsets and of course, all of the amazing boats! Maybe I need to spend time in Hawaii and just paint. If you recall, this is a working trip, not a vacation. It's probably my favorite place to visit. Of course this is my 60th trip to Hawaii.

It's simple, yet a great way to make money from of all the paintings that have already sold. If you listen to today's Artists Helping Artists radio show, it's all about making and selling prints of your artwork. If you are an artist, you should be selling them. It's easy and in most cases, does not cost a penny to set it up.

Just remember to promote your prints. Add links to purchase your prints on your website and blog. And include the links with the paintings!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Ahola. Mahalo. Yep, I am getting ready for my trip to Hawaii. But I do need to clear up some confusion. My trip to Hawaii is NOT a vacation. For the last 30 years I have been a corporate event planner and this trip is with one of my clients. And 300 of their employees. So instead of sipping mai-tais and sunning on the beach, I will be running around, behind the scenes, making sure the event execution is flawless! It's exhilarating ... but exhausting. Of course, I love it. If you know me well, you know I thrive on this kind of stuff.

Since I can't take my paints with me (no time to paint!) I am trying to paint as much as I can. Hawaii scenes seem like a good thing to paint, don't you think? Although, rumor has it that there are a lot of boats in Hawaii too. Stay tuned ...

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I am heading to Maui later this week ... oh darn ... so I am in the mood to paint Hawaii paintings! There's something about painting palm trees that makes me happy. I went through all of my Hawaii photos (I have thousands ...) and found five great scenes to paint. Of course, all of them have palm trees. I will not have time to paint while I am gone so this week I am trying really hard to get ahead. So far, so good but for some reason I just can't stay ahead. It's sad ... when I get ahead I always end up taking a break, because I am ahead and soon I am behind again! Does this make sense?

I have a question for all of the artists out there. Do you paint ahead? And if you do, how do you do it???

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If you would like to join us live for our weekly "Artists Helping Artists" radio show, dial (646)915-9243 every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. PST. Otherwise click on the links below to listen to previously recorded shows! You can also click on the Artists Helping Artists logo above for all information pertaining to the weekly show!

About Me

Leslie Saeta is an award winning artist who paints fresh and colorful paintings using only a palette knife. She paints in her studio full time and has over 30 years of marketing experience. She is devoted to helping other artists sell their art, especially on-line. She hosts a weekly radio show on Blog Talk Radio for artists titled “Artists Helping Artists” which is a great resource tool for all artists.
Leslie has always been interested in art but officially entered the world of fine art as a novice painter in her mid forties. Her art may appear to include energetic brushwork, but she paints exclusively with a palette knife and a heavy build-up of paint. Working with a limited palette, Leslie strives to create beautiful colors and capture the light perfectly in every painting.
In addition to being a full time artist, she is a wife and mother of three teenage boys.

Lesllie Saeta Fine Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other affiliates.